Arlene Malinowski

My Deaf Father started my love affair with books. The public "liberry" on 21st Ave in Paterson, NJ was a beat-up one-room storefront that sometimes smelled like salami. I did my first book report on "The Dancing Star" by Gladys Malvern. It was the story of Anna Pavlova, who was determined to dance with the Russian ballet. Although she was too poor for lessons and considered frail and unattractive, she got a scholarship and practiced until her feet bled to become a premier ballerina. That book became my childhood totem and gave me a glimpse into the person I could become in this world if I too worked hard.